As shown in FIGS. 10 to 13, a rubber member sticking device 100/106, in which a flat plate 104/cylindrical body 108 handles a viscous sheet material 102, is used as a device for holding and transferring a viscous sheet material such as an unvulcanized rubber sheet.
A method is known wherein, when a viscous sheet material 102 is held by a rubber member sticking device 100/106, the viscous sheet material 102 is stuck on a flat plate 104/cylindrical body 108 which has a good adhesion compatibility with the viscous sheet material 102, and then, when the viscous sheet material 102 is transferred, force is applied thereon so that the viscous sheet material 102 is separated from the flat plate 104/cylindrical body 108. However, in this method, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 13, depending on the extensibility of the viscous sheet material 102, the viscous sheet material 102 may become deformed and stretch by virtue of a separation force.
Thus, a method has been adopted, wherein the viscous sheet material 102 is held by means of the suction of a vacuum device, and the viscous sheet material 102 is then separated by means of a vacuum break or an air blow. However, when this method is used, loss of energy is substantial and traces of vacuum holes of the vacuum device are left behind. In a case where the air blow method is utilized, air is blown between the flat plate 104/cylindrical body 108 and the viscous sheet material 102 to separate them from each other, and there is thus also a possibility of the viscous sheet material 102 becoming deformed.
The present invention has been made in view of the above facts, and provides a rubber member sticking device which prevents the viscous sheet material from becoming deformed and stretching during the separation operation, suppresses loss of energy and eliminates traces of vacuum holes.